Dear Brother
by All-Day-Anime
Summary: Dear Brother started the words of the letter that Raphael thought would never reach his older brother. A short little story about a broken family, taking place right at the beginning of the 2007 movie TMNT. Rated T for language. More so hurt rather than comfort, also. Enjoy
1. Dear Brother

_Dear Brother,_

_How dare you leave us? You left us all in the dust. You said that you would be back. Splinter said that it was just a few weeks._

_It's been a year since the date you were supposed to return._

_I would've never had believed that this would've happened to us._

_After that date had gone and past, our family changed. Yours and mine._

_I can't talk to Mikey anymore. He doesn't laugh or joke anymore. He's stuck in a stupid dead end job where he wears plastic over his head and a fake zipper down his shell._

_He has no dignity anymore._

_Donny doesn't talk anymore. He grabs the mail, fixes everything that is broken and has taken on a job. He has to talk to stupid people all day who don't know how to run a computer, being the fucked up job our genius of a brother took._

_He has no voice anymore._

_Splinter sits and watches soap operas every day all day. But, then again, he did that before you left. Now, he watches with blank eyes and doesn't pay much attention to us anymore._

_He seems to have aged more in this past year than in the sixteen before._

_Our household has grown quiet and lonely, and, the best part is, it's all your fault._

_No, I'm not mad. I'm furious. I hated when I found out you had left. I hated that my only older brother had decided to duck out on us in our time of need. I figured that you just missed the plane or was taking a long way home. No, you're still there in Central America._

_You don't plan on coming back._

_I understand that. I would've left too, if I could've. But I wouldn't have left my family in the time of need._

_You are seventeen years old, Leo. Grow the fuck up and get your ass back to New York._

_I'm sure everything will be fixed when you return._

_You know, I found a girl about a week before you were supposed to be back._

_Her name is Emily. And she seems to be the one thing keeping us from falling apart into a depressed lifestyle, not that we aren't almost there._

_I'm sick of relying on her to make everyone smile. I'm sick of having to look at her for advice and leadership. I'm sick of not having you here._

_I hate to say this, but we need you here Leo. Yeah, I know, I'm just some sap that needs to get a life, but it's true. When your family becomes something it's not because one of us leaves, it tears us apart. All of us._

_Except, maybe, you. _

_But, then again, if you cared, you would be here._

_I hate you for leaving us._

_I hate you for making us this way._

_I hate you for leaving without saying good-bye._

_I hate you!_

_I fucking hate you!_

_I hate you._

_And, I bet that you hate me too. We were, after all, different in almost every way. We probably still are. I wouldn't know. You're a stranger._

_I don't know you._

_You don't know me._

_I've changed._

_You've changed._

_Leonardo Hamato wouldn't have left his family in their time of need._

_Leonardo Hamato would've written back to his family's letters if they reached him, which I'm sure they have._

_Leonardo Hamato would've, at the very least, said goodbye to his brothers._

_Leonardo Hamato, my older brother, would've been here by now._

_Yet, you are still gone and we rely on Emily._

_Just as that one song she likes says, we are broken._

_But, you know what, I'm done._

_I've said just about everything I needed to._

_I'm sure as hell not satisfied._

_But, it'll have to do._

_You're my older brother for God's sake. Act like it because you haven't been very brotherly of late._

_How did I find out that you never planned on coming back, big brother? Simple, it was when you sent your last few letters._

I'm just really tired.

I'm sorry I haven't been writing very often.

_And, very lastly;_

Just forget about me. I'll be home soon.

_That is a load of bullshit and you know it, Leo. I don't know what's important to you now, but we were back then, before you left and became this empty shell. And, you know what, I'm glad I intercepted the last letter before Splinter could. It would've given our Father false hope on your return._

_I know you won't read this, Leo. You wouldn't because it's too painful to know that your brother, the hard headed Raphael, cares more than you do about OUR family._

_I hate you!_

_I fucking hate you!_

_I hate you!_

_I hate you._

_But, no matter. I'm done._

_Goodbye Leo._

_Your brother,_

_Raphael._

Raphael looked at the tear stained papers, ashamed of what he had written. How could he have said such horrible things? But, no matter, it was what he was thinking since the day that Leo left.

"Raph, are you alright?" Emily said from the kitchen, setting down her washcloth as she made her way across the room to the door where the red banded turtle stood. "Is something bothering you?"

Raph didn't look up. "I'm fine, Emily. I just need to put something in Leo's room." The girl with the red streak smiled a sad smile at her friend and made her way back to the kitchen area, busying herself again with cleaning the cheese mess that Michelangelo had created just the hour before.

As Raph walked into the dusty room, he looked around, seeing the possessions of his older brother. The walls were a cool blue, unlike Raphael's red ones. Few pictures hung of Leo's wall, all of the mutants, April O'Neil and Casey Jones. The bed remained in perfect condition, the blue comforter covered in a layer of dust, seeing as how it had become too hard for any of the family to enter the room of the eldest turtle since the day he left.

The letter was placed on the box at the end of the bed. Raph figured Leo would never read it, that it would remain there for the rest of eternity.

Nobody expected Leo to appear later that night, feeling more than ready to lead the unpracticed team of four. Especially not the red banded turtle who had written the letter.

After a long while, Raph stepped into his room and found a single piece of paper lying on his unmade bed, starting with the words;

_Dear Little Brother._


	2. Dear Little Brother

**Hello everyone, this is Orie, the author of this fanfic. I honestly love the turtles, I have since I was a kid. I posted this story two days ago on Valentine's Day and cannot believe the demand for a sequel/second chapter.**

**Honestly, this is not my favorite ending. I had to think long and hard about how I was going to do this. I knew I couldn't make Leo angry and I couldn't do it as if he didn't do anything wrong. In my eyes, even though he was stronger, he just made the family fall apart because of his decision to stay in Central America, which is a crime in its own sense. The letter was easy for me to write, but the ending was a bit more hard.**

**I suggest if you do not like the ending, just forget about it and think up your own ending. Pretend as if I left the story as it was and pretend as if the sequel/second chapter wasn't even there. I honestly prefer it open ended, but everyone who asked me wanted a sequel. I might not keep this chapter on here, seeing as how I like the open ending (I'm into open endings because of the video game Limbo) but you can come up with your own interpretations of what happened. If you don't like the ending, think about it; change it in your mind to your liking. Hell, even think up what you think would happen afterwards. But, firstly, it won't be changed (I've been asked to change my works sometimes, and not by the Fan Fiction people that run this site). Second, it will be taken down if I feel like I don't like it. No arguments.**

**That is all. Thank you for reading and please enjoy.**

_Dear Little Brother,_

_Raphael, I do not blame you for saying those things. Though I didn't see how it was before my return, I got a glimpse of it._

_I remember Mikey staying up till about three in the morning just playing video games, sometimes stretching till six in the morning and then passing out on the couch. _

_I remember Donny always working on his latest project, usually trying to figure out how everything always seemed to break right after he fixed it._

_I remember Splinter watching his girly soap operas and training us with the skills we needed, always telling us about the importance of meditation and balance._

_I remember you, always in the background, smiling at our younger brothers as they goofed off and how I would sit and laugh. I remember how you used to run out when you were mad and take out your anger while fighting._

_At least you hadn't changed._

_When I got home, Mikey, like before, was crashed on the couch. But, instead of his recent video game obsession, the news was on._

_When I got home, Donny was sleeping in the armchair, cuddling a phone with his headset still on with a tired look even on his sleeping face._

_When I got home, Splinter looked a million years older. He had been sitting in the dojo, drinking tea in the early morning hours._

_When I was talking to Father, you were at the door of the dojo, coming back from being a vigilante at five in the morning, getting ready for another day of sleeping to get up to another night of fighting._

_When I entered my room, I saw your letter._

_The paper looked new and no dust covered it. You must've left it there before you left the sewers earlier that night. I could see those words, _Dear Brother_, burning my insides._

_I couldn't read it. Not then._

_Every time I looked at the paper, I could feel the disappointment rush through me. Your disappointment._

_Everyone else greeted me with such warmth and I was ready to get back to work, to become a team. Mikey seemed happy, as did Donny and Splinter._

_That girl you mentioned, Emily, was very surprised to meet me that early morning._

_She gave me a warm smile and welcomed me back, introducing herself. I later had to ask you why she was here. Though I was given no straight answer, I could see it in your eyes._

_In the weeks to come, I feel that I had gotten you to, at the very least, forgive me for leaving. But, I didn't know that it had been this bad. Little brother, I didn't know that you hated me and my actions so much._

_But, then again, you always were the hot headed one._

_When I finally read your letter, I saw what I had really done to you._

He has no dignity anymore.

He has no voice anymore.

He seems to have aged more in this past year than in the sixteen before.

You are seventeen years old, Leo. Grow the fuck up and get your ass back to New York.

I've changed.

You've changed.

I hate you.

_It all hurt when I read that. The last three struck me the hardest. You haven't changed, Raph, not that much, at least._

_But I have._

_You are right, I have changed. But, my family values remain the same._

_I will have you know that I thought about all of you during my time in Central America._

_I was a hero down there to them._

_But, I still thought about our goofy youngest brother Mikey and how he always had that smile on his face. Then, there was Donny, my confidant that I would always go to if I needed to talk. There was Splinter, the one who raised and taught us in the ways of ninja, how he had cared for us since day one, all of us crawling in the ooze. And then, there was you, Raph._

_I thought of how hot headed you could be, but how strong you were because of it. You acted on impulse and, while fighting, can be a good thing. I thought about how different you were from our brothers and why I felt the need to protect you to most._

_Emily took good care of you all while I was gone. I can see why you like her, Raph. But, then again, you always took more kindly to humans than I did. That's why I wasn't shocked when Splinter told me that you brought her home when she had be attacked, or that you all allowed her to stay._

_Kind of reminds me of April, in a way._

_But, I'll have you know that I do understand, more than you know. I hated myself and didn't want you all to see me like that._

_Yet, here I am, back in New York, the last place I wanted to be, but the only place I could choose to be._

_I know nothing is fixed, Raphael, but it is slowly mending._

_I'm not sure if you know, Raphael, but I do not hate you for writing that letter. I thank you for it. Please understand that, even though our disputes have gotten us into trouble in the past, you are still my brother._

_Your older brother,_

_Leonardo_

To say that Raph was shocked was an understatement. He hadn't expected Leo to come back. He also hadn't expected Leo to read and reply to his letter. Leo kept surprising him more and more.

A knock came from Raphael's open door. There stood Emily, her curious eyes scanning the red banded turtle's face. "Are you alright, Raph? You look a bit pale."

Emily sure had taken care of them when Leo was gone. Even after Leo came back she had kept a close eye on all of them, being the true peacemaker of the group. In the past year, the human girl seemed to have learned more about the turtles than they had. She knew their habits, their likes and dislikes and whatever else was important. And to think that the girl was only sixteen years of age.

She made her way through the red room, sitting beside her mutated friend. She placed a hand on his forehead, her eyebrows furrowed. "You aren't warm and you seemed fine at dinner. Did Mikey do something to your pizza again?"

Raph shook his head. Sure he was a bit nauseous, but it wasn't from dinner. "No, I'm fine. Just a bit tired."

The girl gave the turtle a sad look before standing, not even bothering to ask about the paper in Raphael's hand. She knew that he probably needed to be alone, at least for a short while. "Alright, but if you need me I'll be in my room," she said before reluctantly leaving.

The red banded turtle didn't know what to think of the letter other than that he was shocked.

Was Raph going to say anything to his older brother? Or would he stay silent? Either way, things had changed between him and Leo. It was strange. He and Leo hadn't been very close for a long while, when Raphael's temper kicked in and he started to seclude himself. Eventually, Raph's brothers were struggling to understand him, if they ever tried. Donny had tried once but felt that it was a waste of time and returned to his inventions. Leo had somewhat tried, only failing because both refused to see from another point of view.

Raph just didn't know what to say.

The next morning he woke up and was soon eating his Cheerios in the kitchen area with Emily and Donny. Donatello was always the earliest riser in the family since they were young, going to bed at earlier hours than his brothers. Emily didn't start out as one, but eventually started getting up earlier to get a head start on cleaning. When the mutants had taken her in, she decided that it would be best for her to contribute, which was cleaning and some cooking.

Raph was usually the last to wake up right after Mikey. Unfortunately, the turtle hadn't been getting much sleep and had decided that, instead of trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep, he would get up and eat and drink some coffee.

Leo entered the main room, still yawning. Raph stiffened, wondering if he should talk to Leo or just leave it.

"The boxes of cereal are on the counter," Emily said to the blue banded turtle, still a bit grumpy. Even if she did wake up early, she was not a morning person at all, rather a night owl.

"Thanks Emily. Good morning Donny. Good morning Raph."

"What's so good about it," Raph replied.

"That's what I'm saying," Emily muttered, stirring her honey covered Cheerios in her bowl.

Leo looked at Raph a bit warily, meeting the amber eyes of his younger brother. Raph met Leo's blue ones, curious as to what the older turtle would say or do.

Leo saw that Raph had read the letter, seeing as how there was more confusion and less anger in Raphael's eyes that morning than there had been before Leo had left the letter. The older turtle smiled and turned away from Raph, grabbing a bowl and pouring himself some cereal.

The two never spoke about the letters, yet continued to write the other letters over the years when something was bothering them, mostly about the other. It wasn't meant to be talked about openly. It became the two's special bond, the only that they had since they were young.

Most of Leo's letters were about how Raph needed to man up and talk to Emily, seeing as how Leo always caught the two glancing at the other. Raph's were about how Leo needed to stop being the leader and start being a team member and to consult with the brothers before deciding something important. Overall, these things either came very slowly or gradually changed overtime.

None of the other mutants, Emily, April or Casey had learned of the letters that the two had written to each other over the years.

But, each time, the letters would show up in their rooms starting with the same headings and endings.

_Dear Brother_

_Dear Little Brother_

_Your brother,_

_Raphael_

_Your older brother,_

_Leonardo_


End file.
